The earliest record of Emmitt Smith playing football is at a Salvation Army football game in his hometown, Pensacola, Florida, when he was eight. He continued to play football at his high school in Pensacola, where he holds the record for the player with the second-best yardage in the school's history (over 8700 yards).

He passed through college on an athletic scholarship from the University of Gainesville in Florida. Emmitt Smith played for three football seasons for the Gators, the university's team. He broke two of the college's football records; in his first year, he broke the 1,000-yard barrier, ended the year with a total of 1,341 yards, and was given the National Freshman of the year title.

Emmitt started his professional career with the Dallas Cowboys, lasting from 1990 to 2002. In his first year as a pro football player, he managed to score 11 touchdowns and rush for 937 yards. His next year was even better, and the league awarded him the rushing title of the season after he finished with 1,563 yards. In 1992, Emmitt Smith became the first player to win the rushing title for that season and the Super Bowl.

The Cowboys lost two season games in 1993, and many experts and fans blamed the loss on Emmitt's absence as he did not play during those two games due to a contractual conflict between him and the Dallas Cowboys management. However, after losing the first two games, the management relented and increased his salary, making him the highest-paid football player.

With his return, the Cowboys made a dramatic comeback in their games and won the Super Bowl despite starting the season with a two-game loss, making them the first-ever team in football history. Emmitt ran nine touchdowns that season, but his most spectacular game was between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants in the finals. He suffered a severe dislocation in his right shoulder during the first half of the game but played to the end and was instrumental in helping the Cowboys clinch their 16-13 win.

In 1996, Emmitt Smith became the youngest player in football to score his 100th career touchdown with over 10,000 rushing yards under his belt. In the next two years, he took the spot as the Cowboy's leading rusher, overtaking the previous leading rusher, Dorsett.

Smith broke his final record with the Cowboys in 2001 after finishing the season with 1,021 yards, making him the first football player to play over 1,000 yards consecutively in the past 11 years. He left the Dallas Cowboys in 2003 and became a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals, hoping to use his presence on their team to boost morale and increase viewership.

He stayed with the Cardinals for two seasons, from 2003-2004. His first season was not very impressive due to a broken shoulder blade after a game with the Cowboys. This greatly affected his performance in the first year, forcing him to miss six games. His performance improved in the 2004 NFL season, where he ran nine touchdowns and threw the only first and only passing touchdown of his career, making him the oldest NFL player to achieve this feat.

Emmitt Smith retired in 2005 after signing a one-day contract with the Dallas Cowboys for one dollar, and he promptly resigned at the contract's expiration.